As the headnote implies, Uncle Tom's Cabin was a "bestseller" when it was published in book form in 1852. It was/is immensely popular. Many, many people were reading and discussing it.
The anecdote most commonly associated with Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin is this: Upon meeting Stowe, Abraham Lincoln allegedly remarked, "So you're the little lady who started this great war [referring to the Civil War of course]!" Thanks to wikipedia for making that story so readily availablem, which is generally believed to have been true.
Make no mistake: This is a novel of social protest, a literary work intended by the author to generate social change. As such, it is a sentimental novel that relies on and manipulates the characters' and the readers' emotions throughout. The plot does not always move forward; some events/characters are introduced as a means to elicit emotion rather than develop the novel's plot. Keep these things in mind as you read.
The anecdote most commonly associated with Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin is this: Upon meeting Stowe, Abraham Lincoln allegedly remarked, "So you're the little lady who started this great war [referring to the Civil War of course]!" Thanks to wikipedia for making that story so readily availablem, which is generally believed to have been true.
Make no mistake: This is a novel of social protest, a literary work intended by the author to generate social change. As such, it is a sentimental novel that relies on and manipulates the characters' and the readers' emotions throughout. The plot does not always move forward; some events/characters are introduced as a means to elicit emotion rather than develop the novel's plot. Keep these things in mind as you read.
Monday: Headnote + Chps. I-IX (1701-1732)
Wednesday: Chps. XII-XIV (1732-1758)
Friday: Vol. II, Chps. XX-XL (1758-1792)